Being a professional artist, and a mondo horror fan, I was craving to get my pencil smudged paws on this book. Over 700 pages of lavishly illustrated science fiction and horror history. Art of Imagaination brings to attention the works of the great artists who have worked in this field for over a century. Anyone with even a minor interest in thsi subject would find this text a true page turner. Highly Recommended.

This book is a must have for anyone who is creative. If you've lost your sense of wonder, this book will bring it back. You cannot help but be inspired by this fine tribute to the illustrators and art directors of fantastic art. You will not be disappointed buying this book. No cheap black & white stroll through memory lane here. It's a full color journey spotlighting the creative talent of imaginative artists from days gone by to today. High quality paper and binding are the icing on the cake. A tip of the hat to the authors and publisher for such an authoritative volume on a thinly treated subject.

First of all: a disclaimer. I edited one of the three books incorporated in this single volume as well as an overall introduction. But I'm not shilling for the book--I don't have to. Included in this one volume are "Science Fiction of the 20th Century," "Horror of the 20th Century," and "Fantasy of the 20th Century." An illustrative history of the three genres--in one volume. Bought separately, they would have run you $... The same plates were used in this volume, the same paper--in many cases, the reproduction is even better than in the original volumes. NOT available in most bookstores. This is probably the biggest, single, hardbound volume of 4-color illustrations ever published in the United States. If you looked at the single books in the series and passed because of price, take a look at this one. Not just for the pretty pictures--the written historical sumamries are also worth the price. End of commercial--nobody's paying me to write this and any royalties as such have been prepaid. Fellow editor/authors Robert Weinberg and Randy Broecker know their stuff. Reason for this screed: I'm damned proud of the book.

Frank R. Westie waited a long time to write his novel roughly based on his 8th Air Force experience as a B17 pilot in WWII. It must have been time well spent, however, because this is a mature,yet vividly detailed and realistic statement on the ultimate price of war. It sharply throws the reader back there to 1945. It tells a compelling,two-tiered love story, both of a romance with a mysterious,aristocratic Englishwoman,and of the bond that existed between gruff,seasoned airmen who have tested their friendship and mutual respect over way too many missions to Germany. It depicts the inner turmoil of a man, the pilot protagonist, not normally prone to self-reflection. Combat fatigue is the overt cause,and the descriptions of air combat in this book are among the most bracingly precise that you will ever read. No small accomplishment if you know what's out there. I have always suspected that survivors of WWII air combat never really completely came home. Part of them, perhaps the best part, is still up there, back there, flying, fighting, trying to ransome the dead and somehow, save us all. Author Westie's ghostly clarion call proves the point elegantly. An unforgettable book about an unforgettable time, of Flying Fortresses and Liberators, and the flesh and blood that powered them to victory, at no small cost. May it reprint soon.

Frank Robert Westie tells an indepth tale from his experiences during WWII. A beautiful love story is woven through a thoughtful account of American B-17 flights over Nazi held Europe. He probes the question, "Just what should a war hero do when he is ordered to do something clearly against his conscience." It is certainly one of the best aviation stories I have read and ranks with those of Nevil Shute Norway & Ernest Gann. Pilots and non-pilots who want vivid accounts of that great air war will cherish this book.

Mr. Westie through his words gave me vivid recall of events I had long forgotten. Recommended to all who have an interest in"being there" during our days and nights.

While there isn't a lot of overwhelming published evidence that aspartame is horribly bad for you, there is a lot of empirical evidence from many people that it can cause headaches, temporary memory loss and other sypmtoms. Just like MSG, many clinical studies have been done to show that it DOESN'T have any effect, but a negative study proves only that THAT study revealed nothing. However, I know several people who, when they eat these substances unawares, get plenty sick. So it can't be all imagination.

Along with Russell Blaylock's book Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, this book is very useful to read for you to decide if you want to consume this artificial sweetner. There is even some evidence afloat that substituting diet sweetners doesn't actually lead to any appreciable weight loss, and that the mere taste of sweetness is interpreted by the brain as having EATEN a real sweet, and weight gain can occur. There are other concerns that aspartame and MSG have neurological effects.

Aspartame has crept into so many commercially prepared foods; even foods with sucrose sometimes have added aspartame. It's also found in vitamin drinks, gums and many other products. In fact it is getting darn hard to avoid.

In any case, there are fine alternatives to aspartame: if you are diabetic, you of course must limit carbohydrates, especially sweets. If you just substituting something for sugar because you are dieting, try substituting stevia extract (a sweet tasting herb found in some healthfood stores) or using a small amount of raw sugar or honey and just limiting your sweet intake. The less sweets you eat, the less you'll want, and you'll start to notice and enjoy the natural sweetness of fruits and even vegetables.

If you read this book, you'll also get a lot out of Blaylock's book on Excitotoxins. Both are essential reading to anyone who is concerned about their diet.

Just how safe is the artificial sweetener aspartame (more commonly known as NutraSweet), currently used in many thousands of products and consumed by hundreds of millions of people? Readers may be surprised to learn that a number of common medical problems are actually adverse reactions to products containing aspartame. Author H. J. Roberts, MD, a board-certified internist with impressive credentials, first became suspicious of aspartame when he encountered an increasing number of patients with a wide variety of symptoms, like headaches, mood swings, memory loss, dizziness, depression, insomnia, diarrhea and anxiety, among others. Based in hundreds of case studies, Roberts concluded that these unexplained symptoms were actually reactions to products containing aspartame. The book not only looks at the clinical picture of aspartame, but describes how it received FDA approval without undergoing testing in humans and how the U.S. Senate allowed this well-financed chemical additive to receive government approval.

Reading this book informed me about the health problems associated with aspartame. Most people conclude that headaches are the only side effect, but there are many more immediate and longer lasting effects. If you or anyone you love is suffering from unexplanable health problems,read this book and become informed about the real dangers that come with ingesting aspartame.

i have actually read this book 3 times....what an enjoyable read and a time to reflect....want to feel better---buy a copy and you will immediately cheer up (with a few tears shed along the way). of course i'm a bit prejudice, believing that golden retrievers are our gift from heaven....

Anyone who owns a Golden Retriever will see a little bit of Bailey in him/her. Patricia Burlin Kennedy has been able to put into words what so many of us feel in our hearts. Anyone who reads this book will "feel" the connection that these four legged creatures have with us. You will smile, you will cry and hopefully, you will pause to think about these life lessons and promise to be a better person because of these reminders. Please buy this book for your children and encourage them to live by Bailey's example.

Bravo! Kennedy and Christie have done it again. "Bailey Bymyside" is not simply a book about the amazing life of a fine Golden. It is a spiritual journey that will teach the reader some of the most important lessons life has to offer. Each page carries a profound statement with a glorious accompanying illustration, that will make you pause and reflect sometimes sirring a tear or a "dog earred" grin. For example, the lesson "that compromise allows us to move forward together" with a picture of 2 dogs swimming upstream with a shared stick in their mouths. What an profound message in today's world! This book is really for the young and old. Pair this book with their first book, "Through Otis' Eyes: Lessons from a Guide Dog Puppy" and you will be giving the best holiday or birthday gift a dog lover has ever received!

One of the great poems in the English language--and certainly a top contender for the greatest narrative poem. A retelling of the Alfred the Great's defeat of Guthrum and the Danes at the Battle of Ethandune (or the victory of the true power of Christianity over the inherent weakness of paganism), written to be read aloud or to oneself (but please do read it aloud). A ranking of ten stars would be more accurate. [This review refers to the first edition.]

The greatest poem ever written! Read it and it will lead you into a high and heroic world and change your life forever!

The greatest poem of the century. The100-page saga of King Alfred the Great's apparently hopeless war against the Vikings is all one dreams poetry might be - stirring the heart and soul, filled with beauty, wisdom and excitement. A timeless message of hope and wonder. A few passages stumble, as is inevitable in a work of this length, but these can be overlooked. Read this wonderful poem and it will lighten and change the world for you. The greatest antidote to depression and despair that I know!

The Basic Bakunin has works that Bakunin did over a short period of time, mostly speaking of the International, but after reading this I can see why it is called the "Basic" Bakunin: all you need to know about Bakunin's views of the State, education, knowledge, work, equality, democracy, freedom, etc, is contained in this 250 page book.

Bakunin is the socialist willing to speak for a truly classless society, with full political, social, and economic equality, where freedom is maximized only through these conditions. He believes the State only exists in oppressive societies, and reforms within the State will only continue class oppression. Hence his many criticisms of Bourgeois Socialists, who he believes aren't true socialists at all. I disagree on a few points Bakunin makes, but everything he says is essential for anyone who is into political philosophy or socialism to consider.

I especially found Bakunin's views of education and equality interesting, as I share many insights with him. He goes a bit into psychology and nature vs. nurture arguments in these viewpoints, and also in his viewpoints on patriotism.

The editor's introduction gives insights into how Bakunin is different than Marx, the words the editor adds in Bakunin's writings make things more clear, the notes serve the same purpose, and the Glossary of terms at the end are a great bonus.

Buy this now.

I found "The Basic Bakunin" to be an excellent, although somewhat limited,introiduction to the political thought of one the West's more dissident political philosophers.Although admiring Marx as an economic/political historian,Bakunin rejected the authority of a revolutionary intelligensia.Cutler adroitly summerizes Bakunin's political philosophy as being thus: The actions of libertarian, anti-authoritarian, syndicalist components of society must be the synthesis of the understanding of the mechanics of society and the effectiveness of free will.Robert Butler has done a remarkable job of condensing Bakunin's anarchist thought into a clear and concise introduction for neophytes to the social movement.

This is a great book. The editor obviously loved doing this job. You can see how much time he spent and the translations are fabulous. Even the footnotes are fun to read. I liked the introduction too, and the index is really comprehensive and useful. Since the only two other Bakunin anthologies in English are rare or out of print, and seem to list at $40 and up, this paperback is a steal at this price. Buy this book! :-)

The first impresion i had upon this book was: "why bother with something so simple". But upon reading the five chapters and the appendix i was hooked on the idea. I also played for six years Truncheons and Flagons so the fantasy setting is no strange to me, whoever when you review the possilities to play a vampire knight the ideas arise (bad pun sorry). They explain in chapter one the whole concept of chivalry in medieval Europe, but the best chapter is the second where they explain how to do it and the fifth where players get their chances at playing one. New merits and flaws (i really liked the "woman in disguise" flaw, a lot of opportunities there). They also give you a brief history of a fictional vampiric knight order for those who like ready to play NPC. Overall a good read, on the gaming side a good sourcebook with good information for both storytellers and players.

This is one great book, but you need the good players too. Think of a vampire walking under the sun and not getting aggravated damage, just lethal. A vampire with increased power and disciplines as well as being only lethally damaged by fire, not aggravated. However, it is compensated by the vampire duties and by those above them in the knighthood order. And yet, it is not only about the order of the bitter ashes, but about everything on chivalry. If you like the via equitus... this book is for you.

I am quite impressed with this book. In the tradition of Wolves of the Sea, White Wolf has really done their homework on this one. Not only does it contain much relevant information about historically existing knightly orders (such as the Knights Templar), it also contains information about how kindred manipulate and even become them. Most importantly, the Order of the Bitter Ashes is detailed. The Order has a duty to destroy infidels, protect the holy, redeem the wicked, and capture the holy relics of old for...posterity. The memebers, due to a unique embrace involving the Holy Grail, also have several new powers, among them being a limited ability to regenerate blood without feeding, and some resistance to fire and sunlight. Though they might be the most noble of the Kindred, there are still many moral dilemmas to play out with them. I get a real Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade feeling from this book. If you enjoy this sort of mood mixed with the gothic horror of Vampire: Dark Ages, this is a must have for you. My only complaint is that there is not a single mention of the one clan that most fits the knightly stereotype: the Salubri. Maybe I am just partial to the Salubri, but I think that they should not have been overlooked here. Still, the book is marvelous.

This book raises the issue yet again of a possible conspiracy regarding the 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy. The authors, to their credit treat the late Senator with respect; they do a good job of providing information about the Senator's professional and political career. In reading this particular work one comes away with a sense of the man who was killed in 1968; Robert Kennedy was considered by many to be Everyman's Advocate. He certainly was a man of strong convictions who appeared to be quite committed to his visions of a "more gentle" world; he was a man with whom many, particularly the disenfranchised could identify with.

The issue this work is concentrated on is the identity and motives of the assassin or assassins. The authors present a very strong and convincing argument of why they feel Sirhan did not act alone nor did he fire the fatal shot; the mysterious "girl in the polka dot dress" allegedly seen with Sirhan, and later allegedly seen fleeing the hotel minutes after the assassination, shouting "We shot him!" Did such a girl exist? If so, who was she and what was her involvement? As for Sirhan, there appears to be little doubt that he was involved to a certain extent in the death of Robert Kennedy; just how great that extent was and who else was involved remain open questions.

The biggest open question of all never knowing what Robert Kennedy would have accomplished had he not died. His untimely death in 1968 has left a painful void in history.

Turner and Christian present a well documented, convincing story of why the RFK assassination needed independent review in 1970s or 80s. This book places a lot of questions at the feet of the LAPD, and perhaps also with the CIA. But the major question is why there was not more public outcry for a review of the investigation back in 1968 and the following ten years.

One wonders, now in 2003, what relevance is left to this book. After reading it, any reader should better understand how too blind a faith in our government and its agencies might lead to a loss of control over these agencies, with disasterous results. Will we allow history to repeat itself? At a time when significant diminishing of our individual freedoms is occurring, the histories of RFK and JFK might make us rethink how far we might want to go to battle terrorism. Even if you don't really buy-in to any of the conspiracy theories, the clumsiness of the investigations should provide plenty of reasons to want _more_ oversight of these agencies, not less.

With all the "JFK Killed by Elvis" books on the market, one might overlook this wonderful book by Christiann and Turner. Like "All The President's Men", the book tells the story of a politician and journalist who dared to search for the truth in a maze of cover-ups and bold-faced lies. The authors provide convincing, simple evidence that RFK could not have been shot by only one man, let alone the feeble Sirhan Sirhan. Anyone interested in the RFK assassination, or in the political turmoil of the late '60's, doesn't know the whole story until they've read this fine book.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very well written and the photos are also great. I remember my time in the Air Force and this book really was accurate.

I found this book to outstanding.This book is full of memories of my life at Castle afb,ca. 1981-1984.

This book is arguably the best book overall on the US Air Force's B-52 heavy bomber covering it's first 40 years, i.e. up to 1995. The B-52 has seen much action in Bosnia and Afghanistan since this book's publishing in 1995, so be aware of this if you are looking for the most recent chapters in the life of this venerable warhorse. Robert Dorr's excellent writing combined with Lindsay Peacock's fascination with the aircraft of the now defunct Strategic Air Command make this book a necessary purchase for all people who have been associated with or are interested in Boeing's bomber masterpiece. Walter Boyne's (a former B-52 pilot) 144-page "Boeing B-52: A Documentary History" first completed in 1981 is also an excellent book but, more for the serious historian or former crew-members due to it's in-depth discussions on equipment and tactics. "B-52 Stratofortress" totals 229 pages and covers a broader range of topics with only slightly less depth. The readability is excellent even to those not intimately familiar with "B-52ese" and/or Air Force acronyms. Chapters include development of the B-52, nuclear bomb tests in the Pacific, technical features, newer models, ground alert operations, weapons, B-52s in combat in VietNam, action in Desert Storm, and aircraft/unit attrition up to 1994. Also included are nine separate appendices covering 39 pages listing each model's specifications, production details, variants, unit usage of each aircraft, B-52 usage of each wing and squadron, base assignments, modifications on each model, a cutaway drawing of a B-52G, individual aircraft distribution of the B-52 fleet in 1964, unit distribution over the years, individual aircraft losses, and details on aircraft consigned to storage. A tremendous variety of excellent photos with informative captions are used showing most every aspect of the "BUFF" in use. Of particular interest to the laymen or Carswell AFB veteran is a chapter describing a low level mission one of the authors got to fly in a B-52H out of Carswell in early 1991.

If you are fascinated by B-52s, this is the book for you... It is not a "general" coffee-table book for the "general" public, though. There is no war-mongering in this book either. It is an excellent survey of a remarkably versatile aircraft.

Rosemary Sheffield feels that she needs some time to find herself! The wife of a pastor, she has "lost" her faith; she has become quite disoriented. Off she goes on a seaside holiday to "find herself." And , once again, veteran writer Robert Barnard maintains his true-to-form style in "The Bad Samaritan." While at the resort, Rosemary meets--and befriends--a young Bosnian named Stanko, who's fled to England to escape the horrors of his homeland. Rosemary finally returns home and, anon, soon appears the young man, whom she helps to get a job in her town. Of course, it's not long before rumors begin. The rumors evolve into murder and Barnard's amiable pair Detective Constable Charlie Peace and his boss Mike Oddie are called in to find the murderer. Barnard's writing, full of dry wit, sharp dialogue, a viable plot, all combine to make "The Bad Samaritan" a excellent read. Barnard paces his novels with a brilliance that makes simply turning the pages worthwhile. Well-versed in literature and human nature, Barnard knows that "one good deed deserves another" and "love thy neighbor" are not always to be taken literally! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

The main ingredients for a wonderful literary feast: Take one Rosemary Sheffield, a pastor's wife who has lost her faith, add one young man named Stanko who has fled Bosnia and what results is gossip, rumors of scandal and even a murder. All of this is liberally seasoned with wit, detail and irresistable dialogue. The psychological suspense will keep you guessing what will happen next and there is just enough complexity to maintain interest without slowing the pace. Very moving, very satisfying and highly recommended!

When a member of the Church of England parish of St. Savior's is found murdered following a picnic, the crime investigation is undertaken by Detective Constable Charlie Peace and his boss Mike Oddie. Charlie is a likeable protagonist who prefers working alone. The dirty tricks and vicious maneuverings of the people of St. Savior's remind him of his own upbringing in a predominantly black parish in Brixton. Charlie plows ahead seeking answers to his questions as he interviews people repeatedly. When Charlie acts friendly, the wise suspect is on guard. Barnard's twenty-ninth novel has enough twists to keep it entertaining and the plot is very tight and believable.